Mumbai to Kerala

[Night Rider]

Hi Friends,

This is my first post. Planning a trip to Trichur (Kerala) from Mumbai (Thane) some time in April /May 07 on my 4 year old wagor R vxi. Planning to hire a driver for the same who has done such long distance trips before. My wife and 4 month old labrador will be accompanying me in the journey. The entire trip to be covered in 2 days

Please guide which is the best route in terms of less travel time and decent hotels to stay (which accepts dogs)

NH-4 or NH-17

Thanks

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by Night Rider

Hi Friends,

This is my first post. Planning a trip to Trichur (Kerala) from Mumbai (Thane) some time in April /May 07 on my 4 year old wagor R vxi. Planning to hire a driver for the same who has done such long distance trips before. My wife and 4 month old labrador will be accompanying me in the journey. The entire trip to be covered in 2 days

Please guide which is the best route in terms of less travel time and decent hotels to stay (which accepts dogs)

NH-4 or NH-17

Thanks

I have done Thane-Kerala several times. You have 2 choice of routes:

- NH4 from Thane till Hubli, NH63 from there to Ankola and NH17 from there on.
This is the fastest route, since you have fantastic roads till HUbli

- The second route is NH17 all the way through Goa

In both cases, unless you are a fast driver, doing in 2 days is quite a tight job.

Facilities are very good throughout, lots of hotels.

Ideally, take Route 1, which means you can take a break on Day 1 at Kumta (Hotel Pandurang). In case you are running slow, you could halt at Hubli.

If you reach Kumta on Day 1, you can reach Trissur late on Day 2.

If you take Route 2, the chances of you going beyond Panaji (Goa) on Day 1 are not good.

The roads have been bad in several patches, but mostly improved now.

Not sure about the hotels accomodating dogs though.

I will be happy to PM you route in detail if you want.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

In both cases, unless you are a fast driver, doing in 2 days is quite a tight job.

Coming from the master, please respect it.

haven't been down thrissur side, but do know of several car friends who've had accidents on NH17 in kerala. driving that incessant, yourself or by driver isnt THAT bright/safe an idea given general state of NH17 (not your regular NH8 yknow!)

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

haven't been down thrissur side, but do know of several car friends who've had accidents on NH17 in kerala. driving that incessant, yourself or by driver isnt THAT bright/safe an idea given general state of NH17 (not your regular NH8 yknow!)

NH17 can be a bit chaotic after kannur in North Kerala, especially in and around Talaserry and Wadakara. Crazy bus traffic on some narrow road stretches.

If you were to space out the trip, in Route 1, stop over at Hubli, Mangalore, with breaks at temples and beaches en route. But then the trip will take 3 days.

[Night Rider]

Thanks for your inputs Kumar Sir.

Initially my plan was to go via NH-17. Start at 5.00 AM from thane and reach margao by say 7.00 pm. Stay at Margao on day 1 and on day 2 start from Margao at 6.00 AM and reach Thrissur by 7.00 PM. However as per your suggestion, now I am thinking on going via NH-4.
BTW how are the roads in NH-63 from Hubli to Ankola and from Mangalore to Kannur in NH-17. I read somewere in this forum that this stretch has some bad patches.

Thanks

[akroy]

Originally Posted by Night Rider

Thanks for your inputs Kumar Sir.

Initially my plan was to go via NH-17. Start at 5.00 AM from thane and reach margao by say 7.00 pm. Stay at Margao on day 1 and on day 2 start from Margao at 6.00 AM and reach Thrissur by 7.00 PM. However as per your suggestion, now I am thinking on going via NH-4.

Dont take the Goa route unless you are in vacating mood. If reaching destination in 2 days is the objective then pls take NH4. You can never do Madgao - Trissur in the time which you have planned more so as NH17 is not in that state in Karnataka.

BTW how are the roads in NH-63 from Hubli to Ankola and from Mangalore to Kannur in NH-17. I read somewere in this forum that this stretch has some bad patches.

Thanks

NH63 is fine now but your timing is very important so that you can avoid the mining trucks ferrying between Karwar port and Bellary. A 3AM start from Thane is ideal.
Not only Mangalore - Kannur, right from Ankola till past Kannur there are bad patches on NH17. If not bad patches, the mad traffic will permit you to speed. It will take lots of time.

Abhi

[akroy]

Latest update of NH17 in Karnataka:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...tml#post703963 (Coastal Karnataka National Highways: Monsoon Roads)

Abhi

[hvkumar]

I agree with Abhi - if you stop at Madgaon on Day 1, it will be quite difficult to reach Trissur on Day 2 although a fast driver can do it - keep in mind that you have to cover almost 1,000 kms that day!

The NH4-NH63-NH17 option is the fast one, and you can try going as far as possible (with early morning start from Thane) on Day 1 - accomodation is no problem once you reach NH17 - Kumta (Hotel Pandurang), Honavar (Kamat), Murudeshwar (RNS), Kundapura(Sharon), Udupi (Kediyoor), etc., as the pace takes you. As long as you reach Kumta, the chances of your making it late in the night to Trissur brighten, as long as you take an early morning departure on day 2 too.

For sake of reference, I take 24 hours non-stop to cover 1,750 kms from Thane to Trivandrum which is 300 kms south of Trissur on NH17, but that is at break-neck speeds (120 kmph plus) and with only refuelling halts.

Going via Goa makes it a very interesting route, but keep aside 3 days for the trip on that route. Your hired driver is likley to be cantakerous in his own right, demanding long breaks and may not be happy with early morning starts and late night drives.

[Night Rider]

Assuming that I start at 3.00 AM from thane, how much distance would you suppose one can cover say till 7.00 pm (with due allowances for breakfast, lunch, etc.) on the NH-4 route?. Is there any other route that I can take after NH-4 so as to avoid NH-17???

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by Night Rider

Assuming that I start at 3.00 AM from thane, how much distance would you suppose one can cover say till 7.00 pm (with due allowances for breakfast, lunch, etc.) on the NH-4 route?. Is there any other route that I can take after NH-4 so as to avoid NH-17???

Assuming you kepe cruising speeds of 100 kmph, limit stops to 3 breaks (total time 2 hours), and starting from Thane at 3 am, you should reach Kolhapur by 10-11 am, Hubli by 2-3 pm (after halts for breakfast/lunch), and Murudeshwar/Honavar by 7-8 pm.

The other alternative would be to take NH4 all the way to Bangalore and go on NH7-NH47, but that would not only be longer but not worth it (bad roads after Hubli, Bangalore city traffic and bad roads in NH7). You also have the joining NH17 at Mangalore if you take NH13 from Chitradurga via Shimoga (or via Shimoga from Harihar itself), but I think it best to go on the Nh4-NH63-NH17 route.

Again, for sake of reference, I have done Thane-Udupi in 12 hours on NH4-NH63-NH17 route, with bad patchy roads, but again that was non-stop.

[akroy]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Assuming you kepe cruising speeds of 100 kmph, limit stops to 3 breaks (total time 2 hours), and starting from Thane at 3 am, you should reach Kolhapur by 10-11 am, Hubli by 2-3 pm (after halts for breakfast/lunch), and Murudeshwar/Honavar by 7-8 pm.

Pls dont waste time on NH4. I know people who easily do Belgaum - Pune in 4 hours (about 360kms) by simply maintaining a steady speed of 100-120kmph in cars like Alto, Versa, WagonR.

Talk to your driver beforehand.
3AM-Thane, Target Hubli by noon. (a breakfast break of 30min in between)
Target Kumta by 3:30pm, You can halt at Turtle Bay resort on NH17 at Kundapur by 6pm or even push upto Mangalore/Ullal (Summer Sands Resorts at Ullal is a nice place, if planned well you can reach there by 8pm, now that we know NH17 in Karnataka is in a decent state)

OT: Why taking a driver yaar, Why dont you drive yourself? You will enjoy it...

Abhi

[pradkumar]

When I did Pune-Kochi in November 2007, I took the longer Pune-Bangalore (stayed over night at Blore) and then Bangalore-Coimbatore-Walayar-Kochi route to avoid bad roads in Bangalore and Kannur. Except for some bad stretches near the Chitradurga sector enroute to Bangalore and Manoothy (near Thrishoor), it was fairly smooth sailing. Roads near Mangalore are terrible; get the latest updates before you venture that side.

Regards,

Pradeep

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Kerala roads are bad for two reasons. First is bad traffic and second being bad surface. NH 17 is a particularly narrow stretch of Highway running through several busy towns / villages very 15 KM or so. In last 4 - 6 years, traffic has increased exponentially in Kerala. Real estate on sides of the road has developed like what you find in metro cities.

Overtaking is going to be an ordeal - often, you will have to go behind a slow moving truck for 3 or 4 KM before you get the on coming lane free fo traffic.

It will be very difficult to maintain speeds above 80 KM, unless you are driving between 11PM and 5 AM on NH 17 - the only exception being driving during day time on a Bandh day - but then look out for flying missiles entering through the windshield :-(

As AK Roy suggested, take a break just before you enter Kerala - preferably at Udupi or Mangalore (Kediyoor has a good restaurant - yum!!!). Do Udupi/Mangalore - Trichur on a stretch - budget 8 hours to cover the 350 + km (approx - ex. Mangalore - please verify).

[kmageshn]

Originally Posted by akroy

Pls dont waste time on NH4. I know people who easily do Belgaum - Pune in 4 hours (about 360kms) by simply maintaining a steady speed of 100-120kmph in cars like Alto, Versa, WagonR.

Talk to your driver beforehand.
3AM-Thane, Target Hubli by noon. (a breakfast break of 30min in between)
Target Kumta by 3:30pm, You can halt at Turtle Bay resort on NH17 at Kundapur by 6pm or even push upto Mangalore/Ullal (Summer Sands Resorts at Ullal is a nice place, if planned well you can reach there by 8pm, now that we know NH17 in Karnataka is in a decent state)

OT: Why taking a driver yaar, Why dont you drive yourself? You will enjoy it...

Abhi

Hi ,
Am planning Mumbai(3:00AM)-Pune-Hubli-Ankola-Kumta (726kms). Is it possible for me to reach kumta by 6 PM on my 350 bullet maintaing Avg speed 80 Kms. Yeah i will reap on 100 -110 kms where ever neccessary, but to avoid engine seziure need keep low speed at times. And my bike(2002 -Electra) is in good condition no seizures till date.

Please let me know what all precaution need to be taken care when riding a bike on the said route.

Waiting for reply,

Mahi

[hvkumar]

Tough job, but if you manage those high speeds, you should. When we go by car, we have the advanatge of the Bombay-Pune expressway which saves some time, but bikes aren't allowed.

Reaching by 6 pm would be difficult, I would provide for a later arrival. To give you a reference time, I do Bombay-Udupi on the same route in around 12 hours, but Udupi is at least 150 kms further south of Kumta.

Take care of high traffic on NH63 (Hubli-Ankola) thanks to iron ore truck traffic.